Kate Beckinsale reveals Harvey Weinstein came onto her when she was 17

And claims rejecting him hurt her career.
- byJodi Guglielmi

Oct
2017

Kate Beckinsaleis the latest actress to accuse Harvey Weinsteinof sexual harassment. On Thursday, theUnderworldstar claimed her career suffered after rejecting the movie mogul’s sexual advances starting at the age of 17.

In a statement released to her Instagram, Beckinsale, 44, detailed her alleged experiences with the producer, saying he showed up to a meeting in a bathrobe and offered her alcohol when she was just a teenager.

“I was called to meet Harvey Weinstein at the Savoy Hotel when I was 17. I assumed it would be in a conference room which was very common. When I arrived, reception told me to go to his room . He opened the door in his bathrobe,” she wrote. “I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older ,unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left ,uneasy but unscathed.”

Beckinsale claims that years later, Weinstein asked the actress if anything had happened between the two of them during their first meeting.

“I realized he couldn’t remember if he had assaulted me or not,” she wrote.

Over the years, Beckinsale said she rejected his sexual advances numerous times — which she alleges often led to angry outbursts.

“I said no to him professionally many times over the years-some of which ended up with him screaming at me calling me a c— and making threats, some of which made him laughingly tell people oh ‘Kate lives to say no to me,’ ” she recalled.

Beckinsale said her alleged experiences with Weinstein “undoubtedly harmed” her career.

“It speaks to the status quo in this business that I was aware that standing up for myself and saying no to things,” she wrote. “While it did allow me to feel uncompromised in myself, undoubtedly harmed my career and was never something I felt supported by anyone other than my family.”

The actress praised the women who have spoken out about Weinstein’s alleged sexual misconduct. She said in speaking out, she hopes to inspire more women to come forward.

“For every moment like this there have been thousands where a vulnerable person has confided outrageous unprofessional behavior and found they have no recourse, due to an atmosphere of fear that it seems almost everyone has been living in,” she said.

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Beckinsale also recalled an instance when a male friend warned a female actress about Weinstein — and in return, was allegedly banned from working with the producer.

“I had a male friend who, based on my experience, warned a young actress who said she was going to dinner with Harvey to be careful. He received a phone call the next day saying he would never work in another Miramax film.”

She concluded: “Let’s stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder, and let’s remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick, and that we have work to do.”

Beckinsale joins a chorus of women who have detailed similar accounts with the movie executive, including Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cara Delevingne.

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In a bombshell New York Times report last week, eight women spoke out against Weinstein, accusing him of inappropriate behavior. The paper also reported that Weinstein reached private settlements with eight women, including actress Rose McGowan.

Following the initial report, Weinstein said in a statement that he was working with therapists and planned to “deal with this issue head-on.” He has since been fired from his powerhouse studio, The Weinstein Company, and his wife, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, has announced she’s leaving him.

“My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time,” Chapman says in a statement to PEOPLE.

On Tuesday, Paltrow and Jolie added their own accounts of alleged mistreatment. Paltrow told the NYT that Weinstein sexually harassed her in a hotel room when she was 22. The encounter allegedly ended with Weinstein placing his hands on her and suggesting a massage. Jolie also told the outlet that she had a “bad experience” with Weinstein in a hotel room during the release of Playing by Heart in the late ’90s.

Also on Tuesday, the The New Yorker revealed — among 13 different women’s accounts of alleged sexual harassment, assault or rape — that the mogul allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on Italian actress Asia Argento two decades ago.

In response to the lengthy allegations made against Weinstein in the New Yorker piece, a spokesperson for Weinstein said, “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein.”

On Tuesday, multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Weinstein plans to enter a residential treatment facility.